What If?
by MJ-Booklover
Summary: What if Percy fell into Tartarus in the Lightning Thief instead of Mark of Athena? What if Annabeth fought Ares and stopped World War III the first time? What if Hades decided that Nico and Bianca should go to Camp Half-Blood? What if Percy survived?
1. I Fall Into the Pit On Purpose

**I DO NOT own the book or the characters. All I own is the plot line.**

Percy was trying to wrap his mind around the Fields of Asphodel.

It was as if he was at the largest concert he could imagine; a football field packed with millions upon millions of fans. But something had gone wrong. There were no lights, no sound, no beach ball bouncing around. People just milled in silence, whispering, waiting for the main event that would never come.

Nevermind that the black grass had been trampled by eons of dead feet giving it an even more depressing outlook, or the moist wind that blew reminding him of the breath of a swamp. Black trees—Grover told him they were poplars—grew in clumps and clusters, adding to the depressing aesthetic.

The cavern ceiling was so high above them it might've been a bank of storm clouds, except for the stalactites, which glowed faint gray and looked wickedly pointed. Percy tried not to imagine that they'd fall on them at any moment but the stalactites dotted around the fields said another story.

He guessed that the dead didn't have to worry about stalactites the size of rocket boosters.

Percy, Annabeth, and Grover tried to blend into the crowd, keeping an eye out for security ghouls. Percy couldn't help looking for familiar faces among the spirits of Asphodel, but the dead were hard to look at. Their faces shimmer. They looked angry or slightly confused. They would come up to him and speak, but their voices sounded like bats twittering. Once they realized they he couldn't understand them, they would walk away, dejected.

The dead weren't scary. They were just sad.

Their group crept along, following the line of new arrivals that snaked from the main gates toward a black-tented pavilion. Waiting for them was a banner that read:

 ** _JUDGMENTS FOR ELYSIUM AND ETERNAL DAMNATION_**

 ** _Welcome, Newly Deceased!_**

Out from the back of the tent came two much smaller lines.

To the left, spirits flanked by security ghouls were marched down a rocky path toward the Fields of Punishment, which glowed and smoked in the distance—a vast, cracked wasteland with rivers of lava and minefields and miles of barbed wire separating the different torture areas. Even from far away, Percy could see people being chased by hellhounds, burned at the stake, forced to run naked through cacti patches or forced to listen to opera music. He could just make out a tiny hill, with the ant-sized figure of Sisyphus struggling to move his boulder to the top. And he saw worse tortures, too—things he didn't want to describe.

The line coming from the right side of the judgment pavilion was much better. This one led towards a small valley surround by walls—a gated community, which seemed to be the only happy part of the Underworld. Beyond the security gate were neighborhoods full of beautiful houses from every time period in history; Roman villas and medieval castles and Victorian mansions. Silver and golden flowers bloomed on the lawns; the grass rippled in rainbow colors. Percy could hear the laughter and he could smell barbecue cooking.

Elysium. The places for heroes.

In the middle of that valley was a glittering blue lake, with three small islands like a vacation resort in the Bahamas. The Isles of the Blest, for people who had chosen to be reborn three times, and in those three lives, they had achieved Elysium. Immediately Percy knew that's where he wanted to go when he died.

"That's what it's all about," Annabeth said like she was reading his thoughts. "That's the place for heroes."

But Percy thought about how so few people there were in Elysium, how tiny it was compared to the Fields of Asphodel or even the Fields of Punishment. So few people did good in their lives. It was depressing.

They left the judgment hall pavilion and moved deeper into the Fields of Asphodel. It got darker. The colors faded from their clothes. The crowds of chattering spirits began to thin.

After a few miles of walking, they began to hear a familiar screech in the distance. Looming on the horizon was a palace of glittering black obsidian. Above the parapets swirled three dark bat-like creatures: the furies. He got the feeling they were waiting for them.

"I suppose that it's too late to turn back," Grover said wistfully.

"We'll be okay." Percy tried to sound confident.

"Maybe we should search some of the other places first," Grover suggested. "Like Elysium, for instance..."

"Come on, goat boy." Annabeth grabbed his arm.

Grover yelled. His sneakers sprouted wings and his legs shot forward, pulling him away from Annabeth. He landed flat on his back in the grass.

"Grover," Annabeth chided. "Stop messing around."

"But I didn't—"

He yelped again. His shoes started flapping like crazy. They levitated off the ground and started dragging him away from the group.

" _Maia!_ "he yelled, but the magic word seemed to have no effect. " _Maia_ , already! Nine-one-one! Help!"

Percy got over being stunned and made a grab for Grover's hand, but he was too late. Grover was picking up speed, skidding downhill like a bobsled.

They ran after him.

Annabeth shouted, "Untie the shoes!"

It was a smart idea, but Percy guessed that it wasn't so easy when your shoes were pulling you along, feet first, at full speed. Grover tried to sit up, but he couldn't get close to the laces.

They ran after him, trying to keep him in sight as he zipped between the legs of spirits who chattered at him in annoyance.

Percy was sure Grover was going to barrel straight through the gates of Hades' palace, but his shoes veered sharply to the right and dragged him in the opposite direction.

The slope got steeper. Grover picked up speed. He and Annabeth had to sprint to keep up. The cavern narrowed on either side and he realized that they'd entered some kind of side-tunnel. No black grass or trees, just rock underfoot and the dim light of the stalactites above.

"Grover!" Percy yelled, his voice echoing. "Hold on to something!"

"What?" he yelled back.

Grover was grabbing at gravel, but there was nothing big enough to slow him down.

The tunnel got darker and colder. The hairs on Percy's arms bristled. The tunnel _reeked_ of evil. It made Percy think of things he shouldn't even know about—blood spilled on an ancient stone altar, the foul breath of a murderer. Then he saw what was ahead of them, and he stopped dead in his tracks. The tunnel widened into a huge dark cavern and in the middle was a chasm the size of a city block. Grover was sliding straight toward the edge.

"Come on, Percy!" Annabeth yelled, tugging at his wrist.

"But that's—"

"I know!" she shouted. "The place you described in your dream! But Grover's going to fall if we don't catch him."

She was right of course. Grover's predicament got Percy moving again. Grover was yelling, clawing at the ground, but the winged shoes kept dragging him toward the pit, and it didn't look like he and Annabeth could possibly get to him in time. What saved him were his hooves. The flying sneakers had always been a loose fit on him, and finally, Grover hit a big rock and the left shoe came flying off. It sped into the darkness of the chasm, never to be seen again.

The right shoe kept tugging him along, but not as fast. Grover was able to slow himself down by grabbing onto the big rock and using it as an anchor. He was ten feet from the edge of the pit when they caught him and hauled him back up the slope. The other winged shoe tugged itself off, circled around the trio angrily and kicked at their heads in protest before flying off into the chasm to join its twin. The group collapsed, exhausted, on the obsidian gravel.

Percy's limbs felt like lead. Even his backpack seemed heavier as if somebody had filled it with rocks. Grover was scratched up pretty bad. His hands were bleeding. His eyes had gone slit-eyed, the way they did whenever he was terrified.

"I don't know how ..." he panted. "I didn't..."

"Wait," Percy said. "Listen."

He heard something—a deep whisper in the darkness.

Another few seconds and Annabeth said, "Percy, this place—"

"Shh." he stood.

The sound was getting louder. Percy could clearly make out that it was a voice muttering, but something was off. The voice sounded... _evil_. And it was coming from the pit. Grover sat up in alarm. He had heard it too. They were all alert, looking at the pit in growing horror.

At that moment it clicked what the pit was.

"It's Tartarus." Percy murmured. Annabeth looked at him in alarm. "It's the entrance to Tartarus."

He uncapped Anaklusmos. The bronze sword expanded, gleaming in the darkness, and the evil voice seemed to falter, just for a moment, before resuming its chant. He could almost make out the words ; they felt ancient—more so than Ancient Greek. As if it was ...

"Magic," Percy said.

"We have to get out of here," Annabeth said.

Together, they dragged Grover to his hooves and started back up the tunnel. Percy's legs wouldn't move fast enough. His backpack weighed him down. The voice got louder and angrier behind them and they broke into a run. He looked ahead and saw Annabeth's back. She was too far away.

His stomach dropped. He wasn't going to make it. He could feel it in his bones. What about this mother? What about the quest? He heard the whisper of the Oracle in his head:

 _You shall fail to save what matters most, in the end._

Percy realized what the last line of the prophecy meant. He wasn't meant to survive this. He wasn't meant to save his mother, or his friends, or even the stupid bolt. He was meant to fail.

But his weren't friends.

Courage burned through him. He threw his backpack at Annabeth, the weight of it causing him to stop in his tracks. Percy could feel Annabeth's shock as she face-planted with the bag on top of her.

There. His friends could continue on without him.

"GO!" he tried not to choke up as he felt the wind nip at his clothes. He closed his eyes. He wasn't brave enough to face his death head on.  
The wind stopped. He let out a sigh of relief and opened his eyes. He was teetering on the edge of the pit, losing balance fast. He waved his arms around, trying to regain it.

It failed epically. He was falling.

Annabeth lunged for him, hand out. He reached for it.

He missed by a few precious centimeters. All he could do was stare at Annabeth's outstretch hand as the pit swallowed him whole.

 _I'm so sorry, Mom. Forgive me._


	2. I Bargain With the Master of Death

**Um...hi? I guess. I have no clue if you guys are recieving an email update or whatever...*Sigh*. I know I've been gone for so long, but yeah. If you've read this story before, go reread chapter 1. All the chapters have been deleted as of right now cuz I'm rewriting everything.**

 **So yeah. Enjoy. Please. I'll try to update more frequently.**

Annabeth couldn't breathe. Or think. Or do anything. She was helpless as she watched her friend fall into Tartarus by himself.

All because she was too slow, too _stupid,_ for not trying to save him earlier. Now she had lost a friend and a quest member. And the best part was that this whole fiasco could have been avoided if only she was faster. Percy would've been standing next to them, tired but laughing.

 _Stop it. It's wasn't your fault._

If it wasn't, then why did she feel so bad?

Annabeth heard a strange, strangled, cry. She realized that it was coming from her. Then the sobbing started.

 _My friend just fell into Tartarus to save me. My friend just fell into Tartarus to save me. Oh, gods..._

She was on her knees, sobbing when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Grover. His eyes were tear-stained; his expression solemn as if someone had told him that enchiladas were to be discontinued.

"Annabeth, come on! We—we gotta go. I know it's hard-"

"But what? What? He's gone, and it's all my fault. I killed him, Grover! _I killed him!_ I promised I would be his friend, and I basically threw him into the pits of hell!"

"Don't you think I know that? I was his best friend too, you know." Grover sighed.

Annabeth recoiled at his tone. She had forgotten that Grover knew Percy longer than she did. Annabeth looked back at the pit. It seemed satisfied as if it had gotten what it wanted. The Pit didn't seem too malicious, but the chill in her back was still there. Annabeth tried picking up the stupid bag off the ground but was surprised at how much it weighed.

 _Why did Percy throw it at me?_ She thought. _He must have thought it was important._

But what could be in here? Annabeth had handled the bag before and it hadn't weighed anything. The only thing that was in the bag was money, clothes, and some rations, so what could be so heavy? She decided to have a look.

As she opened the bag she gasped, startling Grover.

"What is it—Oh Hades," Grover swore.

Sitting in the bag, was a two-foot sphere of celestial bronze.

 _Zeus's Master Bolt._

"How?" Annabeth asked. Her mouth went dry; her stomach sunk.

"It wasn't Percy," Grover said.

"Grover—"

"It wasn't him! I know him, he was at Yancy the whole school year, it wouldn't have been possible for him to steal it. He was framed, he must've been!" Grover raved.

"GROVER!" Annabeth scolded. "I believe you. The bag didn't weigh that much when we first got it. And it sure as Hades didn't weight that much the whole time, or else Percy would've said something. So it must've been recent. Plus," she added, "We were with him the whole time. It would have been impossible for him to stuff something into the bag. And why not take it into Tartarus with him? It doesn't make any sense."

Annabeth and Grover mulled it over in silence until Grover said the most obvious question on their minds.

"If Percy didn't do it, who framed him?"

 _That's the million-dollar question, isn't it?_ Annabeth mused.

"Well, it can't be Hades seeing as if he had the Bolt, why give it to Percy? It wouldn't make any sense. What other god/goddess could it be?"

"Annabeth, I don't think you should go around accusing gods of stealing another gods' weapon."

"Then who could it have been," Annabeth argued, "Because I don't think a camper would be able to frame him, so it has to be a god or goddess."

Grover still didn't like the idea but he saw her point. Only a god or goddess could have framed Percy, but who?

"So, Hades is out. Who else has an agenda against Percy?" Grover asked.

Annabeth was stumped. "He hasn't really met any gods or goddesses that he could have annoyed. The only ones that we've met are Ares and Dionysus and he's managed to annoy both of them." Annabeth concluded.

"It couldn't be Dionysus, seeing as he has to stay at camp. So it has to be Ares..." Grover trailed off.

" _Vlacas,_ " Annabeth said smacking her head, "How could I have been so stupid? Ares gave us the backpack, right? Therefore it makes the most sense if he were to give us the Bolt, as he was closest to us."

"But why didn't it appear until now?"

"Maybe he timed it so that once we reached a certain point—say, _The Underworld_ —it would appear," Annabeth suggested, "But that's not important. I highly doubt that Ares was acting alone. Who told him to give the Bolt to us? Who stole the Bolt in the first place?"

"Maybe it was Hades. It would be a way to make sure that he got the Bolt. All he would have to do is manipulate Ares, right?" Grover said.

"Maybe," Annabeth said. It would make sense in accordance with his previous behavior...

"Grover, I've got a plan. Use your pearl, and take this," Annabeth handed him the bag, "Get as far as you can."

"But-"

"No buts. I need to do this alone. I'm going to have a talk with the Lord of the Dead."

Grover gave Annabeth one last look before he smashed a pearl at his feet. He rose in a giant bubble, breaking through to the surface.

Annabeth gave one last glance around the tunnel then walked out. She was almost glad to turn her back on the tunnel.

Almost.

Once she saw the Furies circling the parapets, high in the gloom, she was itching to leave the Underworld, forget that she had a quest, and complete her wish of becoming a bed burrito. Sadly, she couldn't turn her back on this quest.

Her mom was depending on her; her friends were depending on her, even Grover was depending on her to succeed.

 _And,_ a voice added in the back of her head, _Percy died for this quest. You aren't going to ruin his memory._

 _Shut up. He might not be dead._

 _Oh, darling. He fell into Hell. What are you hoping for?_

Annabeth shook her head. She definitely wasn't going to start having arguments with herself; especially pointless ones. She snapped her head up, realizing that she was lost in her ' fortress glittered in the darkness as if laughing at her stupidity for _daring_ to approach the building. The bronze gates were open, almost as if they were welcoming her to her death. Up close, there were engravings on the gates. Some were modern—like a bombing or famine but looked as if they were etched when Greece was still a world power. She realized that these were prophecies etched by the god of Death, Thanatos. Prophecies that came true.

The courtyard had the strangest assemblage of plants that she had ever seen. Multicolored mushrooms, poisonous shrubs, and ghostly plants that grew without light. _This was Persephone's Garden_ , Annabeth mused. _The one Hades gave to her as a gift._

She had always imagined it as something cold and dark; delicate but bland. She wasn't expecting it to look so, _beautiful_ albeit unearthly. She was drawn to each new flower or plant she saw. She felt that the garden fit the Underworld aesthetic, yet complimented Persephone's domain as a goddess.

It was perfect.

Annabeth didn't know how long she spent in the garden but soon, she stumbled across Tantalus. He was the one detail that ruined the beauty of the garden. He was trapped waist-deep inside the water, trying to get the fruit above him. Each time he missed.

The myth seemed to jolt her back to her senses. Though she was tempted to take a fruit off the tree...

 _Snap out of it! Don't you remember the myth of Persephone?_

The voice sounded suspiciously like her mother Athena. She forced herself to look past Tantalus, to look past the beautiful garden. She kept her gaze forward, resisting the temptation to look back.

She would bet that Percy would have just stayed in the garden, eating the fruit...

 _No_ , she decided, _Percy wouldn't be that stupid, no matter how much of a Seaweed Brain he was—is_.

 _He wasn't dead,_ she reminded herself, _Just...lost._ She repeated this to herself until she reached the steps of the palace.

The steps were in between black and white columns, which lead to a black portico. After that, she was in the House of Hades.

Fun.

The architecture was beautiful, Annabeth decided. The entry hall had a polished bronze floor, which seemed to boil in the reflected torchlight. There was no ceiling, just the cavern roof far above. It reminded her of Olympus in a weird way. It was almost as if Hades took the designs for Olympus and added his own dark and gloomy touch. If she wasn't invited to live somewhere, wouldn't she want to make her own version of it, her way?

But wouldn't she always be bitter about that fact that she couldn't go to the original place?

Annabeth decided not to dwell too much on the thought put into the design of this place. After all, who was she to judge the Lord of the Dead decisions? Or that of a god, really, or of anyone?

Annabeth made a mental note not to think so much. It was really distracting when she was on a quest to bargain with the Lord of the Underworld. She took a better look at her surroundings (just to make sure she didn't wander somewhere nasty).

Every side doorway was guarded by a skeleton in military gear. Some wore Greek armor, some British Redcoat uniforms, and some wore camouflage with tattered American flags on their shoulders. They carried spears or muskets or M-16s. None of them bothered Annabeth but their hollow eyes followed her as she walked down the hall toward the big set of doors at the end.

Two U.S Marine skeletons were waiting for her by the time she reached them. They grinned, rocket-propelled grenade launchers held across their chests.

Hades probably didn't have guests too often. Or Girl Scouts.

Annabeth started going over her plan again. She was going to plead forgiveness then she was going to state her theory. Then she'll pray that she wouldn't get blasted.

She put her hand up to knock when she felt a hot wind pass by. The doors swung open ominously. The guards stepped aside and gave her a grin. She shivered.

She guessed that meant _Entrez-Vous._ She was suddenly nervous. Did she really want to step through that door?

 _Run away! Go back. Turn around before it's too late!_ Her head screamed.

She took a step forwards anyway. The first thing she noticed was the design of the room. It was exactly how Percy had described it to her, except the throne was occupied.

Now, Annabeth had seen Olympus. She had seen the Council of the Gods. She _knew_ how they (the gods) looked like. Yet Hades was the first godly being that really struck as god-like.

He was at least 10 feet tall and wore black robes, along with a crown of braided gold. His skin was albino white, his hair shoulder length and jet black. He wasn't overly bulky— like Ares— yet Annabeth knew he wasn't someone who she wanted to mess with. He basically radiated power in a way that made her feel insignificant and small. He lounged on his throne looking lithe, graceful, and dangerous as a panther.

Annabeth vaguely felt like he should be giving orders. He definitely knew more than she did, therefore he should be her master. It was perfect logic after all.

Annabeth shook the feeling away. This was the man that killed her best friend; she wasn't going to let him order her around like she was a worthless pawn. She wanted to beat the god up. Gods that smug look on his face—

She shook her head. These thoughts were hers. Hades's aura affected her the same way it had affected Percy when Ares was around. Hades had the same twinkle in his eye, showing barely bridled madness and evil charisma. She hated it. She hated him. But she kept her cool. She had a mission to complete, after all.

"You are brave to come here, Daughter of Athena. Brave, but foolish. Where is the bolt? After what you did, I should smite you where you stand."

Annabeth bowed, resting on one knee.

"Lord Hades. I came here to apologize."

That made his posture falter. A look of surprise flashed through his face before they fell behind a smug look.

"You came to _what_?" Hades said incredulously. No one came to apologize to him. They just accused him, and once he was proven innocent they just never spoke to him again. He wasn't expecting the demigod to _apologize_.

"I came to apologize for my accusation. I, and the rest of my group had thought that you had stolen Zeus's Master Bolt but I realize now that you didn't. It didn't make sense onceI thought about it"

Hades's eyes blazed.

"Is that all, Daughter of Athena? That I should be thankful for your apology? Which one of my idiotic brothers told you to do this?"

"None of them, Lord," Annabeth said in her calmest voice. She had to keep him calm.

Hades pursed his lips, as if not entirely believing what he was hearing.

"What of your other companions?"

"Grover Underwood, Satyr, went to return the bolt to Zeus before the deadline. Percy-Perseus Jackson, Son of Poseidon, fell into Tartarus shortly after entering your domain." My voiced cracked at Percy's name.

Hades tensed at Percy's name but looked almost sorry at the Tartarus part. Eventually, he adopted a thoughtful mask for a moment.

"Very well demigod. I accept your apology. Now, if you could—"

"Wait!" Annabeth burst out. She mentally smacked herself. _Stupid, stupid stupid!_

"What?" Hades said sharply, obviously annoyed at the notion of being interrupted.

"I know that you lost something, Lord Hades. I want to do an exchange."

Annabeth had to give it to Hades for keeping his cool.

"I haven't lost anything, Athena spawn. Now—"

"I have proof," Annabeth interrupted quickly, "When the Furies attacked us in New Jersey, they asked us _'Where is it?'_ not _'Where is he?' ._ The second option would imply that you were looking for Percy but Alecto specifically said the first option, implying that you were looking for an object. And why would you ask for the Master Bolt if you already had it? It didn't make any sense. Why not just trick us into coming into the Underworld with the Master Bolt in hand? It would have been less work and less time would have been spent. And it wouldn't draw attention to you. So that implies that you lost something dear. Something that you were desperate to get back.

"And then Ares gave us a backpack full of supplies. And once we entered the Underworld, the Master Bolt appeared in the bag—"

"YOU DARE," Hades raged, "YOU DARE WALK INTO _MY DOMAIN_ , WITH THE MASTER BOLT? You are foolish, Athena spawn. Now give me the Master Bolt or suffer the consequences."

Annabeth took a step back but regained her confidence.

"I want an exchange."

"You are in no position to—"

"I have the Master Bolt. I'm the only one who knows that you lost something—"

"I haven't lost—" Hades started through gritted teeth.

"And I'm willing to get it back for you. All I ask in return is that you get my companion out of Tartarus." Annabeth finished.

Silence engulfed the room for a long time. Annabeth fidgeted in her spot the whole time. Eventually, Hades spoke.

"Very well. I have indeed lost something dear, daughter of Athena. I agree to your terms. You have two hours." Hades finished.

"Excuse me, Lord."

"What now?" Hades sighed, exasperated.

"I need to know what object you have lost in order for me to find it."

"I have lost my Helm at around the same time Zeus lost his bolt. You have two hours to return my helm to me or else I will not complete my part of my deal."

Annabeth started to protest.

"That isn't—"

"That isn't _what?_ Fair? Is it fair that when something happens between my brothers, _I'm_ the one who is to blame? Is it fair that I cannot visit Olympus whenever I please, even though all the other Olympians can? Is that _fair_ , daughter of Athena? If you had wanted a better deal, you should have made me swear an oath of the Styx. Goodbye, Athena Spawn." Hades said curtly.

He waved his hand and Annabeth felt like she was being sucked through a tube. Her surroundings changed. The only thing that Annabeth noticed was that the floor was a sandy color.

Then she vomited. Gods, she hated being teleported. It absolutely sucks. After a few minutes of nausea, she was able to stand up. She was at a beach in Los Angeles. She could see kids her age and older having a great time, surfing the waves and tanning at the beach. She could hear the squeals of delight from little kids running around and splashing each other.

She sighed. Annabeth loved the beach as much as the next guy but could Hades have been less helpful? He could have at least transported her to the middle of the city, for gods sake!

Annabeth huffed and kicked at the ground. She already had a bad start. Could this get any worse?

She turned to walk towards the street when she saw something that made her blood run cold.

An angry Ares was holding Grover by the scruff of his neck.

"You were supposed to die down there, punk. Any last words?"

 **Now, the questions about my writing:**

 **1\. How was Annabeth's POV? Was it Out of Character? If so, how should I improve?**

 **2\. Was it a bad spot to end on? Why or Why not?**

 **3\. Do you guys like the chapter length? Should it be shorter or longer?**

 **4\. Guesses on where this is going?**

 **That's all for this week!**


	3. The God of War Looses His Toys

Annabeth froze. How did this happen? How long had Grover been captured?

Annabeth was suddenly very glad that Hades sent her to the beach instead of the city. Gods know what would have happened to her friend!

Oh. And the bolt too, now that she thought about it.

"You set us up," Annabeth stated, "You stole the Master Bolt and the Helm."

"Well now, I didn't steal them _personally_. Gods taking each other's symbols of power—that's a big no-no. But you're not the only hero in the world who can run errands."

It dawned on her. "But you didn't get a hero. You got the thief."

"That's not important. See, your friend Perseus was the catalyst. He was supposed to die in the Underworld. Then old Seaweed will be mad at Hades for killing you. Corpse Breath will have had Zeus's master bolt by then, so Zeus'll be made at him. And Hades is still looking for this," Ares pulled out the Helm of Darkness, "So he'll be mad at Zeus and Poseidon 'cause he doesn't know who took this. Pretty soon, you got a nice little three-way slugfest going."

"But they're your family!" Annabeth protested.

She knew that Ares was the war god but this was too much for her.

Ares shrugged. "Best kind of war. Always the bloodiest. Nothing like watching your relatives fight, I always say."

"You gave Percy the backpack in Denver. But the bolt wasn't in there when we looked inside..."

Annabeth knew of course why they didn't see bolt but she had to keep Ares talking while she thought of a plan.

"It's probably too complicated for your little mortal brain to follow, but the backpack is the master bolt's sheath, just morphed a bit. The bolt is connected to it, sort of like it's sheath so to speak. Except I tinkered with the magic and made is so it only returned once you entered the Underworld. You get close to Hades...Bingo, you got mail. If you died along the way—no loss. I still had the weapon."

"Why not just keep the master bolt for yourself. You would have achieved the same thing," Annabeth said.

Ares's jaw twitched. His eyes glazed a bit, almost as if he was listening to another voice give him directions.

"Why didn't I...yeah...with that kind of firepower..."

He held the trance-like look for one second, two before his face cleared.

"I didn't want the trouble. Better to frame Perseus then get accused of treason."

"You're lying," Annabeth stated, "Sending the bolt to the Underworld wasn't your idea, was it?"

"Uh, Annabeth," Grover squeaked, "Can you please not outsmart gods when they have me in their—" Ares tightened his grip around Grover's neck. "OW—Okay, shutting up now..."

"Of course, it was!" Ares growled out. He threw Grover aside in rage and stalked towards Annabeth. Smoke wafted up from his sunglasses as if his eyes were about to catch fire.

"It wasn't. You changed the subject when I pointed out that you got the weapon from the thief. You went into a trance when I pointed out that you could have kept the weapon for yourself. And the prophecy did say that we had to face a god who had turned, and you're the only god that worked against us! So no, I don't believe you. You're working for whoever ordered the thief around!" Annabeth accused.

Ares took his sunglasses off. His eyes were dancing flames. "HOW DARE YOU," Ares roared. He grabbed Annabeth by the collar of her shirt.

The whole beach was surrounded by a ring of fire. People started screaming. Police sirens could be heard in the distance.

Styx. Annabeth had to speed this up.

"I AM THE WAR GOD, ATHENA SPAWN! I TAKE ORDERS FROM NO ONE! I DON'T HAVE DREAMS!"

"I never said anything about dreams," Annabeth said calmly.

Annabeth could feel the heat rolling off of Ares's body. Her lips were dry. The heat was starting to suffocate her.

Then she felt the heat receded. Ares let go of her shirt, taking deep breaths. He clenched and unclenched his fists as if trying to control his anger. Annabeth could hear Grover's nervous bleats beside her.

"Uh, Annabeth. I think you have a deathwish." Grover whispered nervously.

"Shh. I got this." Annabeth whispered back. Annabeth told Grover her plan and handed him a drachma. "Good luck."

Grover scrambled away while Ares still had his eyes closed. Annabeth prayed that this would work.

"Let's get back to the problem at hand, kid," Ares said with a smirk, "You're alive. I can't have you taking that bolt to Olympus. You just might get those hard headed idiots to listen to you. So I have to kill you. Nothing personal."

"But you don't wanna kill me," Annabeth said.

"Oh, really? I didn't know that," Ares said sarcastically.

"Give me the helm, Ares," Annabeth said. She saw in her peripheral vision Grover giving her a thumbs up. She could see the rainbow.

"And why should I? You're at a disadvantage here."

"Am I? I have so much blackmail on you. You caught the thief but let him go. You kept Zeus's master bolt and Hades's helm. You tried to start a war between the gods. You framed an innocent person. What's stopping me from spilling all of this to Olympus?" Annabeth said loudly.

"That's why I have to kill you. Can't have you ruining everything. Nothing personal." Ares shrugged.

"You will not touch my daughter, War God." A voice said from behind Ares.

Annabeth smirked. Her plan worked.

Standing behind Ares was a giant rainbow, displaying the Olympian Council.

"Athena," Ares said.

"Hi mom," Annabeth waved, then coughed. "Um, I mean, Lady Athena." Annabeth bowed.

"Hello, my daughter. I see you found the thief," Athena eyed Ares.

"He wasn't the thief, Lady Athena. He—" Annabeth started.

"Yes, yes. Of course. He was only working with the thief to keep the weapons out of sight. Quite interesting. Father—" Athena turned towards Zeus, "What do we do with Ares?"

"We interrogate him and see what other information we can gain. Ares, I expect to see you soon on Olympus."

Ares nodded.

"And what about your bolt or Hades's helm?" Athena asked.

"Hmm."

"Lord. Ladies. If I may give a suggestion?" Annabeth said.

"You think that I can't come up with a sufficient plan, Athena-spawn?"

"No. Not at all, Lord Zeus. I just wanted to say a quick and easy plan that's already available to you."

"And your opinion—"

"Father," Athena interrupted, "Please let her talk. Then we can pass judgment on her idea."

"Hmph. Fine. You may talk, Athena-spawn."

Annabeth swallowed. "Lord Zeus. I propose that Grover Underwood should bring your master bolt back to Olympus. And I will return Hades' helm back to him."

Zeus looked thoughtful. "That doesn't sound like a bad plan. Anyone oppose?"

No one raised their hands.

"Then it is decided. Mr. Underwood will come to Olympus with my master bolt and Hades's helm will be returned to him." Zeus said.

"And you owe me an apology, brother of mine."

"I'm sorry, Poseidon," Zeus said through gritted teeth.

"For what?" Poseidon said innocently.

Annabeth silently threw another drachma at the Iris Message.

"For accusing you of stealing my bolt."

"And who else?"

"Your son."

"Thank you, Zeus. Speaking of which," Poseidon turned his attention towards Annabeth, "What of my son? I don't see him with the rest of you, yet I sense that he isn't dead."

Annabeth's slightly good mood dissipated into the clouds. He didn't know. Poseidon didn't know what happened to his son.

"He—"

"You can interrogate my daughter later, Poseidon. In fact, if you want to talk to her, why don't you go fetch Mr. Underwood?"

"That's a great idea, Olive-for-Brains. I'll do so once the meeting in over."

Everyone turned to Zeus.

"Fine. Meeting dismissed."

Zeus waved his hand and the Iris Message shut off.

Annabeth let out a sigh of relief. It had all worked out.

"You did it," Grover said with awe in his voice, "You outsmarted the War God."

" _We_ did it. You did just as much work as I did."

"Yeah. If Percy was here, he'll fist-bump both of us then jumped into the ocean to go for a swim."

"Yeah. If only Percy was here..." Annabeth smiled sadly. She missed her friend.

But Hades _did_ agree to get Percy out of Tartarus...

 _So why do I feel such dread at facing Hades again?_

She was pulled out of her thoughts by Ares glaring at her.

"You have made an enemy out of me, godling," Ares growled out, teether bared, "You have sealed your fate. Every time you raise your blade in battle, every time you hope for success, you will feel my curse. Beware, Annabeth Chase. Beware."

"That's enough, Ares." A deep voice said.

The man was tall, around 6'4 with deeply tanned skin. His eyes were sea-green, just like Percy's. He wore khaki-colored Bermuda shorts with a bright, colorful Hawaiian-print shirt.

In all honestly, Poseidon looked more like a fisherman than a god.

"You don't need to scare them, now do you. She beat you fair and square. Now run along, your father is waiting for you." Poseidon said.

His body began to glow when Poseidon interrupted him.

"And give the girl the Helm. Don't think I haven't forgotten about that."

A bright flash later and Annabeth was safely holding a glorified bronze helmet that screamed, _I BELONG TO HADES! AND I'M DARK AND CREEPY!_

"Now, Grover. I'm gonna flash you to Olympus. Close your eyes. You too, Annabeth."

Annabeth closed her eyes.

"You may open your eyes now," Poseidon said, "Now. What happened to my son? He isn't dead but he isn't here with you..."

"Lord Poseidon, I have some bad news..."

"Is he dead? He can't be dead. I would have felt it. Please tell me my son isn't dead!" Poseidon was frantic. The sea started churning violently and the sky darkened.

"He isn't dead!"

"Oh. Then what is it?"

"He sorta-kinda-maybe fell into Tartarus?" Annabeth winced as the words came out.

The sea calmed down. The air became still. Poseidon's face froze in shock.

" _What?!_ " His voice was steely calm.

It terrified Annabeth.

"Lord Poseidon. Your son, Percy, fell into Tartarus during our trip to the Underworld..." Annabeth started. She told Poseidon the rest of the story.

By the end of the story Poseidon looked dejected, as if he had predicted that this would happen.

"Gods, how am I going to tell Sally?" Poseidon muttered.

Annabeth flinched. _Stupid, I forgot about Percy's mom!_

"I made Hades promise to get Percy back from Tartarus," Annabeth added.

 _Percy was going to come back and everything was going to be all right..._

"You didn't make my brother swear on the Styx to keep his end of the bargain, I'm assuming."

Why did everyone keep mentioning that?

Poseidon opened his mouth to say something but thunder boomed overhead, cutting him off.

"Styx," Poseidon swore, "I must leave. And Miss Chase, remember: _it wasn't your fault._ And do keep faith in my son, yeah? You'll see him again but not for—"

The sky thundered again.

"I've said too much. Goodbye, Miss Chase. Close your eyes."

A bright flash later and Poseidon was gone.

 _What was he going to say?_ Annabeth thought. _She was going to see Percy again. But why the added, 'but not for'?_

 _Not for what? A long time? What did Poseidon mean by that? And if he meant a long time...how much time? Years? Decades?_

Annabeth was brought back to reality by the gloomy atmosphere around her.

 _What—_

"I see you got my Helm," Hades said dryly. There seemed to be amusement hidden behind his mask.

Annabeth handed Hades's his helm.

"What about your part of the deal? Where's my friend?"

"About that...I can't get your friend out of Tartarus."

"WHAT?" Annabeth seethed. This was what everyone was talking about. Hades had swindled her!

"It's not exactly part of my domain," Hades shrugged, "I mainly control the Upper Underworld, godling. The most I can do is sense if he is alive or not (and he is) but other than that, my hands are tied."

"Why swindle—"

"—You out? I needed my Helm back. A little white lie never hurt anyone. You do get one wish, though. I do like to honor my deals to the best of my ability."

Annabeth's first thought was, _Bring Thalia back!_

"Hmm...maybe even that daughter of Zeus? You'll just need to do another favor..."

Annabeth was tempted. She was _sorely_ tempted. But she didn't trust Hades. She felt like whatever she asked him, he would find a way to twist her wish against her.

She could never bring Thalia back. Besides, all the myths revolving bringing back loved ones never ended well.

Who was she to argue against history?

"I would like for you to release Sally Jackson."

Hades's face showed his surprise.

"Oh. Interesting." Hades rubbed his chin.

"That can be arranged."

Hades snapped his fingers. Nothing happened.

"She is currently back in her apartment, unharmed. I swear on the Styx."

Annabeth bowed and turned to leave when Hades piped up from behind her.

"Uh, Miss Chase? If I may, I offer my deepest apologies for cheating you out. Please, let me provide you a place to stay for the night until you can go back to New York." Hades gave her a small smile as if he was remembering a bittersweet memory.

Annabeth was about to protest but Hades held up his hand.

"Please. Be my guest. It's the least that I can do for all the pain I've put you through. Who knows, you might make a new friend or two." Hades chuckled before flashing Annabeth out of his domain.

Annabeth landed in a familiar environment. She was in the middle of the Lotus Hotel and Casino. It was exactly how she remembered.

The whole lobby was like a giant trap for unsuspecting kids. Hundreds of video games were on display on widescreen television sets. Fully functional virtual reality suits with working laser guns lay waiting for her to use. A climbing wall was on one side of the building. She could even see the architect simulator that she played before Percy snapped her out of it. There was even an indoor waterslide snaking around the glass elevator!

Why had Hades sent her here? She made her way towards the lobby entrance. She had to leave. Gods know how long it had actually been in the outside world.

"Bianca! Can we please see the Mythomagic display? _Per favore?_ I want some new cards." Annabeth heard someone whine.

She turned towards the voice. It was a little boy, about two years younger than her, holding the hand of an older girl around her age.

"Not now, _mio soldatino_ , we are waiting for someone. That's what the lawyer said." The older girl (Bianca, Annabeth assumed) said.

"But she's taking _forever_!"

"We have to look for her. Remember, it's someone with blonde hair and gray eyes. She's about my age."

"Like her?"

Annabeth froze. He was pointing at her.

"She has blonde hair and gray eyes."

Annabeth saw the older girl nod and make her way towards her.

"Hello, are you Annabeth Chase? We were told by our lawyer to look for you."

Annabeth was about to protest when she heard a voice in her head.

 _Play along._ It was Hades's voice. _I'll owe you a favor. Their names are Nico and Bianca._

"Yes. It's nice to meet you, Bianca. Nico," She nodded towards the younger boy.

"Do you like Mythomagic? 'Cause I like Mythomagic and it's the _migliore_!"

"Nico," Bianca scolded, "She doesn't know Italian, so she wouldn't understand what that means."

"Sorry," Nico mumbled, " _Migliore_ means best! So, do you like Mythomagic?"

"Never played," Annabeth admitted, "Why don't you explain it to me while we get out, yeah?"

"Yeah! So the game is about..."

Annabeth nodded along as Nico babbled about the game. It was basically the card game Magic but with a mythological twist.

As Nico took a deep breath, Bianca spoke.

"I think you just became his favorite person."

Annabeth chuckled. "Nah, I just know how to deal with little kids."

She remembered her little step-brothers who would always get excited when Legos were mentioned.

Nico kept babbling about attack points and how they worked.

Annabeth, Nico, and Bianca walked out of the hotel with a, "Come again!" shouted behind them.

Annabeth was stumped. How was she going to go home now?

 _I'll take care of it._

Next thing she knew, she was right outside the camp borders staring at Thalia's pine.

She was home.

 **I'M DONE! Gods this took forever. This chapter was originally 7k words of plot holes and awkward interactions, so I had a lot to edit and delete and whatnot.**

 **Please comment what you thought!**

 **And please, point out any mistakes. I correct people's grammar all the time, so if you go all Grammar Nazi on me, I won't be mad.**

— **MJ**

 **P.S How was Nico and Bianca's character? Any ideas on whats gonna happen with them?**

 **Also, we should be seeing Percy next chapter (Don't take my word for it.)**


	4. Momma's Boy

Despite common belief, falling into Tartarus wasn't scary. Or terrifying. Or even remotely horrifying in any way, shape or form. It was just boring.

It drove Percy nuts. He preferred to have a quick death than this awful suspense that was plaguing him. He looked down again and cursed. That was the twentieth time (he counted) he had looked down, only to reveal nothing.

The air was still slightly cold, he still couldn't see anything, and for all he knew, he was still in the tunnel.

Percy started doing flips to pass the time. It wasn't working. He sighed. Gods, if only this stupid tunnel would end. He suddenly wished that he had kept the bag. Maybe if he had kept the bag, he would've had more supplies. All he had on him was his trusty sword. No money (not like it was useful, but still), no first-aid kit, and no food.

He was off to a great start.

But he knew that he had to get rid of the bag. He didn't know why but he knew that the bag was important to the quest. A quest he was no longer on. So that meant that the prophecy wasn't talking about him. It was talking about Annabeth or Grover. They were meant to retrieve the master bolt without him.

But he was so sure that the prophecy was talking about him. Especially with the line, _You shall fail to save what matters most in the end..._

Percy froze (er, well, he stopped flipping at least). He had forgotten about his mom. His mom who had sacrificed everything for him, who cared for him, who gave herself to give him a chance. He had forgotten about her.

So he did fail to save what mattered most to him. The prophecy had predicted it but Percy still felt bad.

He had thrown his chance to save his mom away for a couple of strangers.

Grover was his best bud and he sorta knew Annabeth but they weren't family. They were friends. His mom should've been his first priority. He had failed her.

Great. Now his mom was forever stuck with Hades, never given a chance to live her life. Maybe Hades would give her back once he figured out that Percy didn't do anything. Percy prayed that his mom was alright. Maybe she could get rid of Smelly Gabe and live her life.

Percy shook his head. If he didn't get out of this free-fall soon, he was going to die of either a) an existential crisis or b) boredom.

After a few more 'why-do-I-exist' type of thoughts, the tunnel got lighter. Percy could see a bright end at the end. The air got warmer. Soon, the light had a reddish tinge to it, like blood.

Percy suddenly felt nauseous. Nope, he was kidding himself when he said he wanted a quick death. He suddenly wished for the safety of his own tunnel. He realized that he could see the ground. It was black and glittering. He also realized that he was falling head-first towards a red river. Percy paled.

Even if he had survived the fall from the arch, that was only six hundred and thirty feet. Percy had been falling for hours (or more realistically, five minutes). He spread his arms out in an attempt to slow down his fall. He flipped himself onto his back (he didn't want to face plant at gods-knows-what speed). With that, he had a _great_ view of Tartarus.

The ceiling was basically blood. The sky was blood-red, red clouds hung lazily overhead. It was warm, almost like he was surrounded by soup. The place was huge. Percy guessed that all of New York could've fit down here without a problem. The air smelled horrible, like his step-father mixed with rotten eggs. No, it was worse than his step-father. Percy pinched his nose. Was that sulfur?

Percy realized that he hadn't looked down in a while. He looked over his shoulder only to be met with a bunch of heat.

 _Splash!_

Percy reflexively gasped. He breathed in the weird river water.

It burned. It was spicy. It was as if he was gargling battery acid with a bunch of jalapeños. He coughed and retched, trying to dispel the horrid liquid from his lungs. He focused on swimming towards the surface. The river was starting to get uncomfortably warm. He broke the surface and gasped. All he saw was red. His eyes burned. His _everything_ burned.

He pulled himself onto the bank and laid there, panting. His vision was returning to normal, his lungs didn't hurt as much anymore. His skin was still red from the unexpected shower. He sat up, supporting himself with his arms.

He hissed in pain when his hand met the ground. He looked at his palm and groaned.

Great. The rivers were fire and the ground was freaking glass. Percy was loving Tartarus more and more.

Percy stood up and looked at his surroundings. He was met with a wall of rock, meaning that he was in a canyon of sorts. Percy was suddenly glad that he fell into the River instead of the ground. He would've died for sure.

Percy patted his pockets. Riptide was still there. He patted his other pocket to see if he had anything. He pulled out a turquoise pearl. The gift his dad gave him! Maybe he could go home!

Percy smashed the pearl against the ground.

Nothing happened.

Percy's smile slipped off his face. Did it not work? Did the river break it? Did he use it wrong?

He didn't know. All he knew was that any hope of him going home went done the drain.

 _Maybe his dad's powers didn't work down here_. Percy thought. _What if his powers didn't work down here..._

Percy's throat closed. All he had was a week's worth of training under his sleeve. He was screwed if his powers didn't work.

He looked towards the river. Maybe, just maybe...

Percy stuck his hand out and focused. Percy's gut twisted painfully and a small drop of firewater rose only to fall immediately.

He fell to a knee, panting. He was too weak. Percy sighed. He needed to work on his powers. After a few minutes, he picked himself off the ground and started his trek across the barren wasteland. Soon, his legs became numb. His arm hurt from having Riptide out in sword form.

Still, he carried on.

Percy wondered where all the monsters were. This was Tartarus, the monsters' home turf. He surely should have come across a couple monsters at this point... The hairs on the back of his neck tingled. He turned and swung his sword.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." a familiar voice said.

"Luke?"

Percy's eyes met Luke's icy blue ones.

"The one and only," he smirked. Percy was too stunned to move. He assumed that everything in Tartarus was his enemy. Maybe he was wrong.

Maybe everything was going to be okay.

"What are you doing down here?" Percy asked. He capped his sword recapped.

"I..." Luke looked conflicted. "I heard you were down here, and I jumped in."

Percy's heart leaped. Luke came to save him?

"What about Annabeth and Grover? Did they make it back okay? Did they catch the Lightning Thief?"

Luke hesitated. "Y-yeah. They did. They didn't catch him, though." Luke drummed his fingers against his knee nervously.

Why was Luke so nervous?

"Oh," Percy said. He didn't know what to think.

"Did they return the Master Bolt?"

"Yes. Listen, Perce. We should get going. You can ask me more question along the way."

Percy nodded, thrown off by Luke's answer. It was short as if he didn't want to talk about it.

"How do you know where we're going?"

"There are myths about Tartarus, you know. I did some reading here and there—boom! Came down here and found you."

"Wow." Percy didn't know what to say. The only myth that he could think of was the one where the Gods went to save the hundred-handed ones, yet in the myth, it wasn't stated how the gods left.

"What myth? I can't think of any."

"You know," Luke shrugged, "A myth."

"Where are we going?"

"An exit. Don't worry, it's not far from here." Luke had turned in the opposite direction. The way Percy had come.

"Hey! I came that way." Percy called out as he ran to catch up with Luke's fast walk. _Damn he walks fast._

"Hmm? Oh, I know. You were just going the wrong way."

Percy nodded. It made sense. But still, Percy couldn't shake that something was wrong. Why was Luke really down in Tartarus? He barely knew Luke—besides, his priority should have been Annabeth, seeing as they've known each other for years.

"Who turned out to be the god who turned?"

"Who?"

Percy was confused. Surely Annabeth would have told him the prophecy. Unless of course, Luke hadn't seen Annabeth...

"You didn't see Annabeth, did you?" he asked quietly.

"Of course I did, Perce. She's my little sister—why wouldn't I see her after her quest?"

" _Surely_ she would have told you the prophecy. Or you would've asked her about it. Why are you _really_ down here?"

Luke huffed angrily. "For being such a Seaweed Brain, you figured it out pretty quickly. Nice job."

Too late, Percy got out Riptide. Luke stared at him.

"What about Annabeth? Or Thalia? Or Camp? C'mon, let's both get out here. No one at Camp has to know."

"You're so naive. You think that once you get out of Tartarus everything will be okay? The gods will kill you, Percy. They'll kill both of us. Me for being a traitor and you...for being too powerful."

"But their—"

"They don't care! My dad didn't care when my mom went psycho! Your dad didn't care when your mom got kidnapped. They just—don't—care. We're their little playthings, Percy. We're only alive because to do their bidding. I'm sick of it!"

"They still care—" Percy protested weakly

"And what? Oh, they still care, they're just busy. Oh, they still care, they just have godly duties. I call BS on that. Too busy for their children, as if," Luke scoffed, "I'm sick of all the excuses the Camp gives for the gods. Why should we care for them, do quests for them, be their little slaves if, in the end, all we get is a cold nod and nothing else? Gosh, Annabeth's been going crazy trying to get a chance to prove herself to her mom. Why should a kid have to "prove" themselves to their parents? It's sick."

Percy just stared at Luke in shock. He couldn't believe that this was happening. Luke was supposed to be the Golden Boy of the camp, the Star. People cared for him, Camp cared for him. And he was going to throw it all away?

"Screw the gods," Percy growled out, "What about Camp? Your friends, Annabeth, Thalia? Your gonna betray them too? Maybe the gods don't care, fine! But you're apart of a family, Luke. Camp cares for you. Annabeth cares for you. Thalia—"

"Don't you dare bring her into this, Jackson! Besides, she would have joined me given the chance. The gods let her die. Zeus didn't even try to save her. He didn't care. None of them do. Join me, Percy. And we can get your mother back. We can make Poseidon pay. Maybe you could even put a good word in and save Annabeth. You could save the Camp, Percy. Just join me."

Luke held out his hand.

Percy stared at the hand. He had to admit, he was tempted. He could save his mom. He could get back at Poseidon for all those years with Smelly Gabe. The idea of it entertained him. His mom could get all that she deserved. It sounded perfect—too good to refuse.

"You could protect her, Perce," Luke said softly, "You could protect her in a way I wasn't able to do with mine. My Master rewards those who join him greatly."

Percy couldn't decide. He could save his mom...

 _You shall fail to save what matters most in the end._

Percy cursed. _That wretched prophecy! Here's my chance to save my mom! Screw it._

Percy's hand rose to meet Luke's but stopped.

His mom wouldn't have wanted it. Percy could already see her disappointed face and she caressed his cheek. _You shouldn't have sacrificed your friends, Percy. I can live my own life._

Percy wanted to yell out to this imposter that he didn't care, it didn't matter.

Percy felt his hand lower itself.

"I can't." Percy whispered. Dread pooled in his gut.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I can't do it," Percy whispered, "She wouldn't have wanted it."

Luk's hand lowered. His blue eyes turned hard.

"You're making a grave mistake, Jackson. Last chance." Percy shook his head mutely.

If he opened his mouth he would start crying.

Luke tutted. "I thought you were different, Perce. Guess I'm wrong," Luke shrugged, "Oh well, orders are orders."

Luke snapped his fingers. "Good luck in hell, Perce. You're gonna be here a while."

Luke slashed his sword through the air. In a flash, he was gone.

Percy trembled. That was the hardest decision of his life. His heart ached. He prayed that his mom was alright. Percy picked up his sword. Huh, he hadn't realized he'd dropped it.

"PERCY!" A familiar voice said.

His heart stopped.

"Mom?" Percy whistled around, searching for the owner of the voice. He was met with air.

"PERCY, HELP!" Where was his mom? Where was she? He needed to find her.  
"Mom, where are you?"  
"HELP!" He heard his mom say, except the voice sounded farther away. Percy ran. He needed to save his mother.  
Every once in a while, he would hear his mom's voice again, screaming for his help. He ignored the ache in his legs. He had to find her, he had to save her.  
"Mom," he choked out, "How'd you get down here?"  
His stomach dropped. Had Hades thrown her down here for revenge?  
"Yes, my little boy. Hades threw me down here in spite."  
"Wait," Percy slowed down, "How'd you know..." the back of his neck tingled. He jumped to the side as something barreled past him.

"PEERRCCCYYYY!" the strange creature said.

It had a body of a stag, head of a lion, and goat hooves*. It's mouth was...wrong. The strange hybrid didn't have any teeth; all it had were broken ridges, like a demented Jack-o-Lantern. It opened its mouth and Percy half expected some horrible sound.  
He wasn't expecting to hear his mother's voice.  
"Percy please, don't hurt me..."  
Tears sprung in his eyes. It sounded so much like his mother...  
He barely dodged the next attack. Percy got his sword out and took a deep breath. He needed to take this thing down—he wasn't fast enough to make a break for it.

Percy waited for its next attack. As it made a wild dash for him, W jumped and slashed at it.

"Don't hurt me, please." his mother—no, the _thing_ said.

Percy's hand trembled. He couldn't fight this thing. Not if he kept hearing the voice of his mother.

Percy ran. He could hear the sounds of hooves behind him, growing steadily louder.

"Percy, don't leave me!"

Percy gritted his teeth together. _This isn't her,_ he reminded himself. Percy forced himself to go faster.

"Percy! Come and give your old mom a hug."

Percy made the mistake of turning around. _Crack!_

Percy was sent flying from where the hooves made contact with his ribs. His head was spinning. His chest hurt a bit. He saw the thing charge after him. He closed his eyes and swung his sword.

"PERCY!" his mother's voice screamed before the monster disintegrated.

He got up and looked at the pile of dust. He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd killed his own mother. He shivered in the atmosphere and looked at the sky.

He was truly alone down here. He looked at the blood red sky and sighed.

 _I'll see you again, mom,_ Percy thought, _I swear._

And with that, he started his long trek across the barren landscape.

 **ANNNDDD done. Oh, gods I'm so sorry. This took soooooo much longer than I thought it would but hey, school happened and some other things.**

 **Since when I've last posted I've had 2 projects due, 2 tests, 4 quizzes, and homework every night due on various days. Did I forget to mention an essay? I had an essay due. So yeah. Updates might be a bit slow, but hey it only took me a month this time instead of a year so... I'll just leave it that.**

 **Oh yes. I had a guest review concerning Bianca and the hunt.**

 **Ah, Bianca may eventually join the hunt (I'm still torn on this) but it won't be for a few chapters at least (in-story timeline, however, translates to a few years).**

 **So long, and goodnight.**


	5. Rivers Have Feelings Too

_Join me, Percy. And we can get your mother back. We can make Poseidon pay._

Luke's words played over and over in his mind as he trudged through the desolate wasteland.

 _You could protect her, Perce._

"Shut up," Percy growled out. Stupid Luke and his stupid words.

 _Oh, they still care, they're just busy. Oh, they still care, they just have godly duties. I call BS on that. Too busy for their children, as if._

Percy angrily kicked at the ground. Even three hours later, Luke's words were still circling around his head, making him doubt everything that he'd learned.

He hated it. He hated how easily Luke got stuck inside his head, how easy it was for Percy's loyalties to be put in such turmoil.

 _It's not like Poseidon did anything to earn my trust, anyway_ , Percy thought glumly, _I haven't even met the guy._

The whole concept of Poseidon being his dad still made his head hurt. It didn't make any sense—if he was a god, why did he never visit? He remembered what Annabeth said about them being too busy or whatever, but was it just excuses? Did his dad just not care?

Did any of the gods care for that matter?

For Percy, it was not difficult to imagine all the gods acting like Mr. D or Ares—cold and caustic; uncaring and indifferent to their lives. But surely not all of them acted that way—they were gods. Shouldn't they act better?

Was Luke right? Was Percy making a mistake by not joining him? He didn't know.

He hated not knowing.

He'll probably never now. After all, he was stuck down here in Tartarus where no one knew he was alive...

His stomach dropped. What were they going to tell his mom? Assuming she made it back somehow, what would she say? Would they say he died on the quest? Or would they say that he was missing? Did Hades even release her?

Percy realized that he hadn't thought about his mom when he decided to fall in. That should have been his first priority. After all, his mom had sacrificed so much for him...

Percy froze.

Did he just leave his mom with _Smelly Gabe?_

Percy started to panic. He left her with that _jerk_. How could he have left her with that scum bag? If she even made it back...

He shook his head. No good dwelling on those types of thoughts now. He sighed for what felt like the millionth time and continued his trek.

The air was still the same refreshing sulfur and the ground still had shards of glass sticking out. The sky was still red and the terrain was still barren. He found himself missing the New York skyline. He missed the sounds of traffic and his little apartment. Gosh, what he would give to breathe the polluted air.

He was homesick.

Percy closed his eyes and opened them, hoping to see a change in scenery.

Well, the ground was still broken glass and the sky was still red.

Tartarus was officially boring. Percy figured he was going nuts—no sane person said that the embodiment of Hell was boring. But he couldn't help it. No monsters attacked, the terrain hadn't changed, there was no food or water. All he had was a river made of fire and shards of glass to keep him company.

Oh and his thoughts. But right now, he didn't want any. They made him feel like curling up on the ground and sobbing in despair.

Gods know that if he did he'll get pieces of glass in his eye. Percy continued his mindless trudge across the land, hoping to find something—whether it be a way to escape or shelter.

It was another twenty minutes or so until a startling realization came to his mind.

How much time had passed since he first fell down into Tartarus?

Percy didn't know the answer. He didn't know if it was days or weeks; hours or months, seconds or minutes. For all he knew, no time had passed at all since he fell down.

Or, he thought as his stomach dropped, all the time in the world could have passed.

The thought made him queasy. Had everybody forgotten about him? Had so much time passed that no one remembered him?

Percy felt terribly homesick. He wanted to go home. He wanted to see his mom again.

He kicked a piece of glass out of the way furiously.

What was the point? What was the point of him doing anything? If all his friends and family were dead, what was the point of him walking through this hell?

Percy sighed and sat down at the edge of the river bank. He looked and the swirling water, ignoring the sting of the ash and cinders rising from the bank.

 _I just want to go home._

Percy wiped the hot tears from his eyes. He couldn't cry. Not now, not ever. A sob escaped his throat.

 _I want to go home I want to go home I want to go home I want to go home I want to go home now._

Percy saw a figure rise out of the River.

"Who are you?" Percy asked.

"How funny. A little human all the way down here." the man said. He seemed to be made out of the river itself, with watery robes and hair made of fire. His skin was the color of burnt ash.

Percy gaped at him.

"Are you deaf?" the man asked. He leaned in closer. "I remember you, you fell in my River. how rude."

"Excuse me," Percy sputtered, "I— "

"So your aren't deaf," the man mused, "You're still awfully small,"

"I'm a kid," Percy cried out indignantly, "I can't help that I'm small. Anyways, who are you?"

"My name is Pyriphlegethon, though you may know me as the River Phlegeton," Pyriphlegethon said with grandeur.

Percy stared at him.

"What, no applause? I'm the one keeping you alive right now." Pyriphlegethon growled.

"What?"

"Is that the only thing you humans can say? I'm keeping you alive. I _am_ also known as the River of Healing." Pyriphlegethon gloated.

"Okay..." Percy said slowly. He was slightly overwhelmed with all the information being dumped on him.

"Well, little human, man up and continue to follow my River. Don't make me regret giving you my blessing."

The man melted back into the river as if he was never there.

Percy stared at the water for a bit too long before snapping back to this senses.

He'd just had a chat with a River. Yep, he was going crazy.

Percy got up and started making his way downstream, following the River. He had no other ideas.

But was Pyriphlegethon trustworthy? What was this guy's agenda?

Why help him? Pyriphlegethon didn't seem too pleased about it. Was someone using him?

Percy mulled this over. It didn't make any sense. No one was there to hate him, and he hadn't made any enemies...

He shivered. Why had it suddenly gotten so cold?

He looked up. He was in a forest of black trees. He looked back.

No river in sight.

Percy panicked. Where was he? How'd he get in the forest? He turned a full circle. Percy was completely surrounded by black trees.

Should he try to find his way back? Pyriphlegethon did say to follow his river downstream...

Percy's neck tingled. A tree trunk quivered a few feet away from him.

Too late, he took his sword out.

Another tree quivered. His eyes narrowed.

Nothing moved. The air stilled as if the whole pit was exhaling.

Percy was about to dismiss his paranoia when the first demonic grandmother landed in front of his.

 _How did the Furies find me down here?_

He studied the monster before him. It wasn't a Fury.

This was much more sinister.

To be fair, the two groups looked alike: a wrinkled hag with bat-like wings, brass talons, and glowing red eyes. While the Kindly Ones preferred to dress up like teachers, the monster in front of him wore a tattered dress of black silk.

Definitely fitting with the "demonic grandmother" theme.

Percy eyed the monster's talons. They look pretty sharp, enough to tear him to shreds.

"What are you?" he asked, pointing Riptide in her direction.

The monster tilted it's head a smiled.

Percy ducked under the swipe of a talon.

Damn, these things were fast.

Percy whirled around sword out and ready. He saw that there were now three... things staring at him. He squirmed under their collective stares.

 _The_ _arai_ , hissed a voice. _The curses!_

Percy tried to locate the voice but none of the demons had moved their mouths. Their eyes looked dead; their expressions frozen as if they were possessed. The voice simply floated overhead like a voice over.

"What curses?" he inquired.

 _Why the curses of the defeated! Our purpose is to curse you, of course! To sap your strength, and to unleash the pain and suffering of the people you have defeated!_

"My mother told me not to accept curses from strangers. Or by demon grandmothers!" Percy yelled. He dashed away into the treeline.

 _You cannot run away from us, Perseus Jackson._

That nearly made him stop in his tracks. How the Hades did they know his name.

He decided to sprint faster. His lungs burned, his muscles ached. Somewhere along the way he had dropped Riptide.

Still, he kept running. He saw a wall of darkness overhead and came to a stop. A few feet before him was a sheer drop.

Percy cursed.

 _Give up_ , the voice hissed, _Your toil is pointless, demigod. You will never save your mother._

Percy shakily got Riptide out. "Shut up."

 _Pathetic_ , the voice sneered, _No wonder your father didn't care for you_.

"Shut up!" Percy snarled. He dashed forwards and slashed one of the hags in two.

He gasped out in pain. His chest burned. Breathing hurt. Everything hurt.

 _Ah_ , the voice sounded delighted, _the curse of the Minotaur._

"What?" Percy wheezed out. His vision was tunneling.

 _Did you think that he was satisfied with killing your mother?_

" I don't know what your t-talking about," Percy croaked. "She's alive"

 _Oh silly me_ , the voice mocked, _She's just been captured and tortured. My mistake._

"What?"

 _She's been captured and tortured. Didn't you hear?_

"No, she hasn't. She's back home. Annabeth—"

 _Who, the Athenian? Bah, as if she would care! You left your mother behind to suffer. Just as you will._

The hag dashed for Percy. He barely managed to roll out of the way.

 _Face your fate, son of Poseidon._

"Why should I believe you?" Percy gasped. He stumbled away towards an open pathway. His mom wasn't captured. Surely Hades would have released her...

 _We spread misery, not lies._

Percy didn't hear the last sentence. He ran away as best as he could. He could hear the squawking and rustling of feathers. He had dropped Riptide and continued running. There was a break up ahead.

He tripped over a rock and landed on his chest painfully.

Percy scrambled back as he saw the Arai staring at him.

He cursed. He didn't have a weapon to defend himself. Riptide hadn't returned yet.

 _Until next time, Perseus Jackson._

The aria sunk back into the trees, leaving Percy alone with his thoughts.

 **HAHAHA. I feel like crying. Why did this take so long? Euuhhhhhhhhhh. I feel terrible. I'm so sorry. School has been slightly brutal, but meh. I shouldn't have excuses. I'm just glad a had a pretty empty study hall to finish writing this chapter with. I feel so bad that this isn't 2000+ words, though. I hope that next chapter will be longer.**

 **Um, yeah. Any questions? Comments? Concerns? Feelings?**

 **Ooh, whoever can translate and answer the following question gets brownie points!**

 **我 是美国学生，你呢?**

 **Have a nice day! Or don't, I don't control you...**

 **P.S Do you guys have any ideas for a new title?**


	6. Home is Where the Heart Is

_She was home._

Annabeth laughed. She was finally home.

"Come on." She dragged Bianca and Nico over the border. "Let's go see Chiron."

"Slow down," Nico whined. "My legs aren't as long as yours."

Annabeth ignored him. She needed to see Chiron immediately.

And Luke. She definitely needed to see Luke.

"Woah," Bianca said. She stopped dead in her tracks, admiring the Camp before her.

Bianca opened her mouth. "Is that—"

"Yes, it's a flying horse."

"Are those—"

"Yes, those are cabins. Your cabin depends on your parent." Annabeth continued dragging them along.

"Wow, it's—"

"So pretty? Yep, that too. Now hurry up, we need to chat with Chiron."

"Who's— Nico asked.

"Chiron? You'll see." Annabeth continued her march to the Big House.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what this place is!" Bianca stomped her foot and held her ground.

Annabeth sighed in frustration. "Okay, so this is Camp Half-Blood, for demigods. People like you and me. It's sort of a safe haven for demigods, as monsters can't enter. Chiron is the same Chiron from the myths. You know, the centaur? He's our Activities Director. Our Camp director is Mr.D, who's a god. Each cabin—

"A god? In this Camp? Cool!" Nico bounced on the balls of his feet. He ran forward. "C'mon, I wanna meet a god."

"He doesn't like kids. Or demigods.  
Or people, for that matter." Annabeth said. She ran to keep up with him.

"So? He's a _god_." Nico said (as if it explained everything). "Which god is he? Does he live here?" he pointed towards the Big House.

Annabeth blinked. She hadn't realized they were there already.

"Yeah, he does. He's Dionysus, god of wine."

"You called, Annabelle?" Mr. D drawled lazily. He eyed Nico and Bianca. "Who are these brats?"

"OHMYGOD," Nico yelled.

He ran up and grabbed Mr. D's hand and started shaking it vigorously.

"Wow, I can't believe you're the Wine Dude!"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm your biggest fan! Some people say you suck but I don't think so. Is it true that you have five hundred attack points?"

"What are you going on about?"

"You know, Mr. Wind Dude I thought you'll be—"

"Nico," Bianca chided, "Leave the poor man alone."

"But he's a _God,_ " Nico whispered. "I have so many questions."

"You can ask them later." Bianca compromised.

"But _Bi_."

"You can ask him later," Bianca repeated.

"Fine," he grumbled.

He sulkily walked back to where Bianca was standing. Annabeth was too in shock to do anything but watch.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Dionysus. My brother doesn't know—" Bianca started.

"I wouldn't throw names around like that, brat." Mr. D's eye twitched.

Bianca's smile slipped a bit.

"I'm sorry, _Mr. D._ My brother is just excited since you're a part of his card game."

"Hmmph."

"I hope that Mr.D wasn't giving you too much trouble," Chiron said. "Ah, Annabeth! I see your back. But where is Perseus."

"Chiron!" She ran up and hugged him. "I missed you."

"It's good to see you, dear. How was the quest? Let us talk inside." He started leading her inside.

Annabeth gestured towards Bianca and Nico.

"I found them on the quest. It's a long story."

"I'm beginning to see that now. Come along, Young Bianca and Nico. There are many things we must tell you." Chiron gestured to a seat. "Please, sit down."

"Are you _the_ Chiron?" Nico asked as he sat down.

"How many other centaurs do you know?" Chiron asked. He gave Annabeth a questioning look.

"He's obsessed with a game based off of Greek Mythology." Annabeth supplied.

"Ah. If you would, please explain to me what happened on your quest."

"Well, it all started on the bus to New Jersey..." Annabeth started. The words flowed out of her mouth. She told him about the Furies, Medusa's Emporium, the Arch, Ares, Waterland, the Lotus Hotel, and the Underworld. She also told him about the occurrences on the beach and her fight with Ares.

"It was foolish, yes, but I'm proud of you Annabeth. And I'm sorry about Percy. But where is Grover?" Chiron said.

Annabeth could see the tearful expression on his face.

"Grover should be here..."

"ANNABETH!"

"Oomph," Annabeth wheezed as Grover hugged her, "I—can't—breathe."

"I'm so glad you aren't Seaweed! And who are these two? Half-bloods, by the smell of it." Grover asked.

"Their Nico and Bianca," Annabeth gestured towards the duo, "I rescued them from the Lotus Hotel and Casino."

"You went there again?" Grover asked, "Why?"

"I would also like to know the answer," Chiron added.

She quickly explained what happened after her fight with Ares and her meeting with Hades.

"Woah, you're just like my Mythomagic cards. You're so cool? Defeating the War God? You're awesome!" Nico jabbered.

Annabeth shied away from the boy's hyper attitude.

Was she really a hero? She couldn't even save her friend...

"Chiron?" Annabeth asked, "Do you think that Percy is dead?"

"I do not know. Lord Hades did say he wasn't, but then again, he could be lying." Chiron said softly. "We do not know."

Silence engulfed the room. No one spoke for a while.

"Who's this Percy guy?" Bianca asked timidly. She even raised her hand slightly, as if she was in a classroom.

"He was my best friend," Grover started, "He went on a quest to retrieve Zeus' lightning bolt. He never came back. He fell down into Tartarus trying to save me."

"And me," Annabeth added, "He was a bit of a Seaweed Brain, though he was smart. I only knew him for a few days though before he fell."

"What's so bad about Tartarus?" Bianca asked.

Grover flinched.

"It's the monster prison, isn't it? That's where monsters go when they die." Nico ventured.

 _Huh,_ she thought, _That's actually a good description for it_.

"That is correct, Nico," Chiron said.

"Do I get house points?" Nico mumbled.

Annabeth snickered quietly.

"Excuse me?" Chiron's eyebrow rose.

"Don't mind him, he's been exposed to too much media," Bianca said.

She looked towards Nico. "Not everyone reads what you read."

"Well, they _should_ —"

"It's been a long day, hasn't it?" Grover said out of nowhere. "You guys must be tired."

Annabeth looked outside. The sky was dark.

Huh. She hadn't noticed.

"Where are we going to sleep?" Bianca asked.

Annabeth blinked.

She hadn't thought about that.

"Um, who's your dad?" She asked.

Immediately she face-palmed. Of course, Bianca wouldn't know.

"Hades. The man said his name was Hades."

The room darkened. The shadows seemed to thicken in response to her answer.

A glowing Helm of Darkness appeared over Bianca and Nico's head.

"I'll go alert the Hermes cabin of two new members," Chiron said. He rolled out.

"And Annabeth," Chiron started.

Her ears perked up at the sound of her name.

"It was not your fault."

Annabeth nodded.

"Goodnight, Nico and Bianca," Annabeth said softly. She followed them out of the big house.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" Nico asked.

"Yeah. I'm over there," she pointed towards her Cabin, "Cabin six."

She waved him off and walked towards her cabin. She felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hey," she told Grover, "What's up?"

"Are you okay?" he asked, "Are you _really_ okay?"

"I'll be fine," she answered curtly, "It's not the first time."

Grover flinched away from her. Annabeth remembered that this wasn't his first time either.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that," she said softly. Grover didn't say anything.

"What happened after you went to Olympus?"

"I got glared down by Lord Zeus." Thunder boomed overhead.

Annabeth winced. "That bad?"

"He wanted to kill me. Everybody else vetoed, even Mr.D."

"Get some rest, Annabeth. It's been a long day."

Annabeth nodded and walked off. She stepped into her cabin and took a deep breath of air.

Home sweet home.

"Your home!" Malcolm shouted.

The whole cabin cheered.

"C'mon, tell us all about it! We all knew how excited you were to get this quest, gosh you were bouncing off the walls! Where's everybody else?" Malcolm gushed.

He gave his sister another squeeze.

"Yeah, tell us all about it!" One of the younger kids yelled.

Annabeth yawned.

"She'll tell us tomorrow. Can't you see how tired she is?" One of the older Athena kids said.

Annabeth nodded her thanks and went to bed.

She was out like a light.

 **Hehe. He.**

 **Gosh, the one time I'm able to update on a weekly basis, and it's a short chapter.**

 ***rubs face exasperated***

 **Meh, I'll produce another chapter soon (I hope) with more plot-centric points.**

 **(You may count this as filler, but it's a needed chapter).**

 **Have a nice day, all of you!**

 **AND HOLY CRAP 110 FOLLOWERS? 5,360 VIEWS? AHHHHHHH I nearly screamed when I check the stats.**

 **Thank you so much!**

 **P.S I started a new story (welp, adopted a story and finally got around to posting a chapter).**

 **That was totally not self-promotion. What? No clue what you're talking about...**


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